iced tea
by hi jump kick
Summary: Sometimes, when she glances slyly out of the corner of her eye, she catches Brendan looking at her, eyes trailing a line along her bare legs. -May/Brendan. A request from quintilis.


iced tea

/

**A/N: A request from quintilis for a slice-of-life fic with HoennShipping. I hope you enjoy it, quintilis.**

You ever look into someone's eyes and know that you're meant to be with them? Not at this point in time, but maybe someday? There's no date marked on the calendar, no alarm set to go off at a certain time, but you imagine yourself with the person, holding hands, and living in that idyllic little house with a picket fence and spending the rest of your life with them?

Neither does May. Heck, she's only thirteen. But sometimes, when she glances slyly out of the corner of her eye, she catches Brendan looking at her, eyes trailing a line along her bare legs as he shaves fourteen cents off her tea order so it comes to an even two dollars. His eyes, a shocking green like the forest in spring, both comforting and mesmerizing.

But May keeps it all locked up tight, hoping he'll think she's carrying a torch for someone from her hometown. She's just a transplant, you see, someone who doesn't belong with the masses of the couples who kiss and touch and giggle.

"I like you, May," says the professor as they go out to the tall grass to study zigzagoon foraging habits. "You've got a good head on your shoulders, a no-nonsense attitude. You're going places."

She shyly ducks her head. "Thank you, sir."

As they leave Littleroot, she can't help but glance back to catch a glimpse of him pulling weeds outside his house (which is conveniently right next door), muscles writhing and churning under his tanned skin…

She berates herself and catches up to the professor.

/

He is there when she goes to buy a tea the next day.

As she opens her mouth to give her order, he holds out a cup of iced tea. "Raspberry," he says, grinning. "I know it's your favorite."

"Thank you," May says, and gratefully takes the tea, holding out the money to him. To her surprise, he shakes his head. "This one's on me."

Bemused, May puts the money back in her pocketbook and shuts it with a snap. Brendan's eyes lock on to hers and there's that shocking green again.

"So," he says conversationally, leaning over the counter and May feels her pulse quicken, "When do you leave on your journey, May?"

"This July. Why do you ask?"

"Oh," he laughs a little sheepishly. "That's when I leave. I just held off an extra year so I could make enough money to travel on." May had wondered why Brendan hadn't left the previous year; he was a grade ahead of her and had graduated already.

On a whim, May decides to let go of the schoolgirl-shyness for a while and talk to him. "I get my starter the seventh."

Brendan grins. "It's going to be a tough decision. Treecko's grass-type moves are perfect for slowly draining the opponent's energy. Torchic's speed and moveset makes it perfect as a quick-hitter. Mudkip's long-range water attacks make it a sweeper in double battles."

May is impressed. "Sounds like you know a lot about battling. Which one did you pick, Brendan?"

His eyes linger on hers as he reaches behind the counter and grabs something. As his hand returns to the top of the counter, the glisten of a pokeball catches her eye. He rolls it between his hands as his eyes gaze into hers. "I chose a treecko last year."

"I see," May says, and is surprised to realize that she is actually comfortable speaking to this boy, legendary in the school for his sweet-talk and his suave demeanor. "I was thinking about choosing a mudkip. When we took our aptitude tests, Professor Birch said I'd be best starting off with a water-type, so that pretty much sealed my decision."

Brendan looks almost disappointed, and stops rolling the pokeball between his fingers. "Aptitude tests are nothing like real training," he states, looking down at the red and white sphere in his hands. "I took the same test, and my result was that I should train a fire-type starter. But I picked Kolo, and I've never regretted it."

He looks back up at her, his green eyes blazing with so much feeling and emotion, and May thinks that maybe there's more to Brendan than the suave womanizer. "All I'm trying to say is, in the end, aptitude tests don't mean much. You have to go on intuition."

May takes a sip of her tea. "So you're saying I shouldn't pick a mudkip?"

"I'm just saying you should go with what feels right."

/

May chooses a torchic and never looks back.

She is surprised (and delighted) to find that Brendan has shown up at the graduation ceremony, his treecko sitting on his shoulder. She can't help but grin at him, and he gives her a thumbs-up when he sees the fire-type pokemon in her arms.

After the ceremony, she goes outside with her torchic and he is already out there, leaning against the brick of the building.

"Congratulations," he says, smiling. "I guess this makes us rivals now, huh?"

May grins back, shyness completely missing from her spectrum of emotions. "If we're both trainers, then I suppose so."

Brendan glances down a gadget on his wrist, and he almost seems shy as he looks back at her. "So, new rival, if you ever want to get together for a battle, do you think we should exchange numbers?"

/

She is in Lavaridge when she runs into him again.

He grins as soon as he sees her, and May can't help but feel a rush as she approaches him. His treecko has evolved into a powerful-looking grovyle, and it glides after him.

"Hey," he says, and, to her surprise (and delight) he hugs her. After a few seconds, he pulls away, but holds her out at arm's length, scrutinizing her.

"What?"

"You look stronger. Want to have a battle, rival?"

They battle. She wins.

He doesn't even look disappointed as he recalls his grovyle and her combusken screeches in triumph. In fact, he only looks happier as he walks toward her again.

"Winner gets a cash prize," he merely says, and, for the first time in a while, May blushes.

"I'm not taking your money," she says awkwardly.

There is a hesitation, and Brendan chuckles. "I know. You're too nice for that. But you have to have something." He looks around, and, apparently seeing something, takes her arm. "Come with me."

They stop at a vending machine, and he feeds the dollar bills in and selects an option. A can drops out of the vending machine and Brendan holds it out to her.

She takes the can and observes the label. Tea.

"Raspberry tea," he murmurs. "It's on me."


End file.
